THE IMPORTANCE  OF EXPERIENCE IN TEACHING AND LEARNING.

My educational practise today is really a mixture of both Traditional and Progressive. My ultimate aim however is to have a Progressive educational approach which capitalises on experience being important both in learning and teaching process.
"Nothing ever becomes real until it's experienced." John Keats.
. It has mainly been traditional in many aspects especially before I undertook the CCTI course.  I was the major source of knowledge in my classes together with the recommended textbooks. The students sat in orderly rows and faced the teacher at the front. My role was mainly directive, I followed the set curriculum and taught in more or less the prescribed way for over 20 years. Assessments were done at the end of the term when my students reproduced what had been taught , crammed and memorised as individuals.

On the other hand to a small extent there was some Progressive approaches in as much as my subject of Geography has many practical aspects which can be done using a constructivist approach. The fieldwork aspect requires the students to formulate their own objectives, go out on the field, carry out the research, analyse the data obtained, make recommendations, conclusions and finally make presentations. I also had collaborative groups which carried out researches and made presentations etc.

I would like to have a progressive approach generally where the students take a more active approach in class, sit in informal groups, learn in ways that are interesting to them, carry out their own research and presentations, learn through experiences especially real life experiences etc as given in the Constructivist approach.

In this context however, I envisage the following hurdles. Instead of only having assessments at the end of the term, I will have continuous assessments for my students but they would still have to sit the final standardised assessment at the end as required by the syllabus. That is compulsory if they want to move to the next level. The formal sitting arrangement can be changed temporarily when in collaborative groups but not permanently since I am not the only one that uses the classrooms . The option of giving students the choice of what resources to use can only be done within limits since many resources especially technology tools are not available or in inadequate quantities.

In as much as the aim is to adopt a progressive approach which I have learnt after studying from the course, there are still some aspects of the Progressive approach which cannot work easily. The curriculum is still rigid with prescribed ways of doing things and until it’s changed nothing much can be done. Giving learners a choice of what they want to learn may cause them to miss out key aspects that are essential but not interesting. When the teacher acts only as a mentor and guide, there is likely to be a lot of indiscipline bearing in mind the large classes due to Universal Primary and Secondary education in Uganda which is free.. The teacher may not be able to keep track of the students’ progress if each learner can choose what they want to learn and how to learn it. The multiple interpretations of doing things would overwhelm the teacher in terms of time unless the class is small. In addition, it assumes a variety of resources being available to the learner to choose from. The range is limited in Uganda and many schools even lack the basics. Relating to real life experiences and collaborative or individual projects are mainly limited by financial constraints since they may require the learners to go out in the environment or field.

In summary, at present I would advocate for a blend between the traditional approach and the Progressive approaches eg in as much as the learner is given freedom to chose the learning path suitable for them there must be a set of rules or guiding principles he/she follows. The final aim would be to move more and more towards progressive approach.

LESSON  2 - FEELINGS ABOUT  TEACHING.

My feelings about teaching at this stage in the course are mixed. If there is to be authentic learning then my way of  teaching has to undergo a lot of changes. Although there is a lot that is outside my control and which therefore will be difficult to change, nevertheless there is a lot that I can do to change the way I teach my classes.

Human beings have different intellectual strengths and minds and this has an important bearing on how people or learners learn. Some have ability to analyse information, others can solve abstract problems, others can create products , others can understand other peoples desires etc. As a result therefore, I need to take this into consideration as I teach. I have to realize that learners all do not learn the same way and must therefore identify and encourage them in those areas where they seem to have a natural aptitude or what can be referred to as their strengths

I must improve on how I pose questions and problems and then guide the students to help them find their own answers. I must change my role from that of instructor to one of a coach, mentor and prompter and just ask leading questions while they find the answers by them selves. This can be through inquiry based learning, role playing, collaborative learning groups etc.

Although in theory I know what I ought to do, It will not be easy to put it all into practice. After teaching for all these years, it’s not easy to stand aside and let students take control of their own learning. Partly it’s because this requires lots of time which may not be available because of constant schedules as also discussed by Richard Culatta. The rigid curriculum, lack of technology tools and the challenges of large numbers make this an uphill task, but not impossible.

 The solution therefore, is to start slowly with those aspects that I am already applying and build on those first. These include collaborative groups carrying out research and getting them to analyse and present their work. I will also give them leading questions to research on based on the topics at hand. I will also encourage them to participate more in co-curricular activities which would help them develop their individual passions or areas that they like. The provision for that is already there except that the time  for that is limited and I cannot increase it easily. In summary, I can say that where there is a will, there is a way and I intend to do my best.

USING MY STRENGTHS IN MY TEACHING.

Howard Gardener came up with the theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) where he asserted that human beings have different intellectual strengths and minds and that this has an important bearing on how people or learners learn. He came up with 8 intelligences which include:
Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Visual-Spartial, Naturalistic ,Bodily-Kinesthetic ,Interpersonal, Intra-personal, Musical. According to him, educators need to take into consideration these differences while teaching for authentic  learning to occur. Every body possesses all 8 with varying levels of aptitude giving each person a unique profile.

After taking the MI intelligence test I scored highest in Linguistic with 83% followed by Intrapersonal with  56%. Linguistic refers to an individual’s ability to analyze information and produce work that involves oral and written language such as speeches, books and memos. Interpersonal on the other hand reflects an ability to recognize and understand other people’s moods, desires and motivations. I can use these two in my teaching to benefit students in the following ways:

Ø  I would put the students into Discussion Groups to discuss Natural disasters occurring in the nation eg floods and landslides.

Ø  Keeping journals while on Geography field work trips thereby keeping clear records of what has been studied in the field so that conclusions and follow ups can be done later.

Ø  They could also use video recorders to record important facts while out in the field.

Ø  They can also produce graphs of Geography statistics, analyze them and make meaningful conclusions.

Ø  I would also have the ability to judge their moods and react appropriately eg when to encourage, when to be strict, when to counsel and when to correct them etc.

Before I can use the students intelligences to help improve learning, they themselves must first identify them. Together we would list them, and get them to take the MI intelligence test. I would encourage them to participate in activities that foster their strengths such as create songs, videos, art pieces, write plays, discussions  etc etc. They would then use their intelligences to improve their performance in their various disciplines.

 I would also remind them that they have all 8 but with varying levels of aptitude. This would make the lessons more student centered and therefore more interesting. The test also identifies their weaknesses which we would work on to improve, for an all round student in the final analysis. This would all result in authentic learning as put forward by Marilyn M Lombard’s which involves among others the elements of varieties of resources, collaboration, multiple interpretations and outcomes etc.

REFLECTIONS ON 2.1.4

Learning is a process or journey for both teachers and students. I have created learning experiences in my class but to only a limited extent. However, as I learn more in the course I will do better. My biggest challenge has been the large numbers. Last year I had  Geography class of 106 students all taught at the same time! So basically I found that the best method I could use was collaboration through group discussions and team work produced better results and  not individual work. However, there would always be a few learners who preferred individual work and sometimes I accepted them to choose the way they wanted to work but not always.

I have also tried to relate the learners experiences to real world activities when natural disasters such as Landslides and Floods have occurred and been been aired on the television. In the subsequent lessons we would collaboratively agree on the possible causes and the learners would be tasked to come up with diverse solutions on how such disasters can be controlled. They would also analyse any statistical data if it happened to be given.

The practical part of Mapwork has always provided an opportunity for me to overcome Richard Culatta's third challenge of performance data (grades) coming too late at the end to be useful to the learners. Evaluating each exercise enables the students to have constant assessment not summative assessment at the end so that they could map their progress. Sometimes I provided the answers, other times I let them work them out individually or we worked together. The biggest constraint was time in as much as the teaching schedule is constant!!and we must move on whether true learning has occurred or not. At present , that's administrative and is not something I can change as an individual. 

 

Recently our school acquired Three white boards and projectors and once they are installed I hope to utilise them to have more authentic learning experiences

EXPERIENCES OF TRUE LEARNING.

‘’All true learning is experience, everything else is just information.’’ We learn 10% of what we read, 15% of what we hear, but 80% of what we experience. Says an article from  New Horizons in Learning.


Although Sylvia's learning experience was not easy, her positive attitude enabled her to make it.She consulted with her counselors teachers and fellow students and finally overcame the obstacles she encountered. She also realized there are diverse ways of solving problems and also that learning is a process.

I have discovered that deep or true learning experiences are not easy but have been difficult. I’ve had to have great motivation and inspirational goals to drive me forward. When I focused on the end result and when ever I felt it would be worthwhile, I was motivated to keep moving forward.

Learning is a process which takes time and patience and has many challenges along the way. I realized I needed to have strong commitment to face the challenges and obstacles in my way without giving up. Without commitment it has been very easy to give up at the first hurdle

The reality is sometimes very different from the expected and at times I’ve had to be adaptable in order to learn. In one of my Projects the instruction was in the local language which I also speak but I found it easier to write and record in English. When I informed my instructor about my dilemma, we both realized he needed to instruct me in a different way from the others if I was to learn. Good enough he was ready to give me  special time and he would also use visual aids to illustrate unfamiliar terms or concepts. At the end I found that I was really learning. In addition I also asked for help from my fellow learners which was willingly given.

Learning also requires lots of practise till a task is accomplished. In the project I referred to above, my instructor informed me I had to be ready to re do  my work again and again until he was satisfied. ( he happened to be a perfectionist). Doing a task over and over was frustrating but his commendation of Well done at each stage made it worthwhile and I felt a great sense of accomplishment at the end.

John Dewey states that.....we learn from reflecting on our experiences. As I look back, I realize I learnt a lot  a lot from my experiences which I can adapt and  use in other situations for success. 



Additions

I would like to add some more ideas from Marilyn Lombardis article some of which are similar to mine.
Challenges should be open to multiple interpretation and can be solved in different ways. This opens up the possibility that the same challenges can be solved in new innovation ways.

Learners should also always realize that many problems are not solved in a short period of time but that its authentic ones are solved over sustained periods of time in as much as learning is a process not a single event.

Team work or Collaboration is the way to go to get maximum results.When the learners become part of group discussions and all contribute, the learning experience becomes richer. 

Learners should also be encouraged to reflect on their learning experiences and also make suggestions on how things can be better.